2Chr 34
1
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years
in Jerusalem.
2
And he did that which was right in the eyes of YHWH, and walked in the ways of David
his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
3
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after
the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem
from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images.
4
And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images that
were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and
the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon
the graves [of them] that had sacrificed to them.
5
And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
6
And [so did he] in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even to Naphtali,
in their ruins round about.
7
And he brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder,
and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned
to Jerusalem.
8
Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house,
he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah
the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of YHWH his God.
9
And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought
into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered
of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all
Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10
And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house
of YHWH; and the workmen that wrought in the house of YHWH gave it to mend and repair
the house;
11
even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber
for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
12
And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah,
the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the
Kohathites, to set it forward; and [others of] the Levites, all that were skillful
with instruments of music.
13
Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all that did the work
in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and
porters.
14
And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of YHWH, Hilkiah
the priest found the book of the law of YHWH [given] by Moses.
15
And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the
law in the house of YHWH. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
16
And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king,
saying, All that was committed to your servants, they are doing.
17
And they have emptied out the money that was found in the house of YHWH, and have
delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen.
18
And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me
a book. And Shaphan read therein before the king.
19
And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his
clothes.
20
And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of
Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king`s servant, saying,
21
Go you, inquire of YHWH for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah,
concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the anger of YHWH that
is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of YHWH, to do according
to all that is written in this book.
22
So Hilkiah, and they whom the king [had commanded], went to Huldah the prophetess,
the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe;
(now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spoke to her to that
effect.
23
And she said to them, Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel: Tell you the man that sent
you to me,
24
Thus says YHWH, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants
thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before
the king of Judah.
25
Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense to other gods, that they might
provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore is my anger poured
out upon this place, and it shall not be quenched.
26
But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of YHWH, thus shall you say to him,
Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel: As touching the words which you have heard,
27
because your heart was tender, and you did humble yourself before God, when you heard
his words against this place, and against its inhabitants, and have humbled
yourself before me, and have rent your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard
you, says YHWH.
28
Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave
in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place,
and upon its inhabitants. And they brought back word to the king.
29
Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30
And the king went up to the house of YHWH, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and
small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was
found in the house of YHWH.
31
And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before YHWH, to walk after YHWH,
and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his
heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written
in this book.
32
And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand [to it]. And
the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their
fathers.
33
And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained
to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to
serve YHWH their God. All his days they departed not from following YHWH, the God
of their fathers.